Wave-motor.



B. C. SHIPMAN.

WAVE MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 27, 1912.

Patented Mar. 25, 1913.

5 SHEETS-SHEET l.

l N VE M a AT EY WITNESSES ms, 02%

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAIII CO, WASHINGTON. D. C

B. G. SHIPMAN.

WAVE MOTOR. APPLICATION FILED MAY 27, 1912.

Patented Mar. 25, 1913.

5 SHBETS-SHBET 2.

IINVENTOR umnm PLANOGRAPH CO-,W1\SHINGT0N. D, C.

WITNESSES- 9+S5 C1 wk B. G. SHIPMAN.

WAVE MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 27, 1912.

Patented Mar. 25,1913.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WITNESSES mvzmon ATTORNEY COLUMBIA PLANOORAP" CO.,WASHINGTON. u.c,

WITNESSES B. CISHIPMAN.

WAVE MOTOR.

APPLIUATION FILED MAY 27, 1912. 1,057,287, Patented Mar. 25, 1913.

5 SHEETSSHEET 5.

Figs

.ATToRNEY coLUMBlA PLANOORAPH 60-. WASHINGTON, D. c.

ITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENNE'I CARROLL SHIPMAN, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TOPACIFIC WAVE POWER COMPANY, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATIONOF CALIFORNIA.

WAVE-MOTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 25, 1913.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, BENNET C. SHIPMAN,citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the countyof San Francisco and State of California, have invented a new and usefulave-Motor, of which the following is a specification in such full andclear terms as will enable those skilled in the art to construct and usethe same.

This invention relates to a wave motor, and its object is to provide awave motor which shall apply the maximum power from waves to suitabledriving mechanism, regardless of the wave height and at any stage of thetide.

In the drawings in which the same numeral of reference is applied to thesame portion throughout the several views, Figure 1 is an end elevationof the complete wave motor, showing an electrical control for the tideregulating frame, Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the motor and frame, inwhich the same is guided, Fig. 3 is a plan view of the motor, Fig. 4 isan end elevation partly in section of a slightly modified form of motorhaving a Water motor for regulating the height of the tide frame, Fig. 5is a plan view of the modified form of the invention, and Fig. 6 is aView partly in section of the water valve used for re versing the wavemotor.

The numeral 1 represents a series of four fixed piles which support aguide frame 2, said frame being movable vertically in guides on thepiles 1. The guide frame 2 comprises four vertical members 3, eachmember lying in a guidein one of the piles 1. These vertical members aresuitably connected together by means of cross ties 4 and each one isprovided with a guide for wheels 5, which are secured to a secondaryframe 6, there being eight of said wheels 5, four at the top and four atthe bottom of Said frame.

The frame 6 is supported from the float 8 by means of links 9, saidlinks being pivoted to the frame and to a cross bar in such a manner asto cause said cross bar to move with its center of motion at some pointbelow the same. The cross bar 10 to which the links are pivoted has anupwardly extending portion 11 and has a vane 12 bolted thereto, thelatter extending below the cross bar such a distance as is deemednecessary.

The float 8 has plates 13 at each end thereof, which plates havejournals 14 bear ing in the bar 10, so that as the waves rise .and fallthe float will always remain tangent thereto without unduly strainingthe apparatus.

Each cross bar 4 is provided with a suitable journal bearing 16, in eachof which is journaled a shaft l7,-said shaft having a boss 18 thereonwhich carries four grooved rollers 19 said rollers being sufiicientlyheavy and strong to hold a slidable crank 20 which has a head 21 at oneend to pre vent its withdrawal from its position between the groovedrollers, and which is connected with the bar 11 at its other end.

The result of the above construction is that the motion of the float dueto the pas sage of a sea wave will result in the rotation of the shafts17 changes in the wave height being accommodated by the sliding movementof the slidable crank 20.

Since only in bodies of water which remain at substantially the sameheight at all times would the apparatus be operative, it becomesnecessary to provide means whereby the frame supporting the shafts 17may be shifted to accommodate the apparatus to all tides, and this isaccomplished by providing each of the bars 3 with rack teeth 22, each ofwhich is engaged with a suitable pinion 23, there being four of saidrack bars and four of said pinions. The pinions 23 are carried by shafts24, each of which is provided with a suitable worm gear 25. The shafts24 are supported on cross bars 26 carried by cross bars 27 secured tothe fixed piling 1, suitable journal boxes 28 forming the bearings forsaid shafts.

Eac-h worm gear 25 has a worm 29 in mesh therewith, each of said wormsbeing carried by a shaft' 30 suitably geared to a motor 31. One of thefixed piles is provided with two brackets 32 which support a cylinder33, said cylinder having a small opening in the bottom thereof andhaving a float 34 therein, said float having a rod 35, at the upper endof which arecontact points 36 and 37, suitable insulation 38 securingsaid contact points to the rod 35.

One of the rack bars 22 has an arm 39 bolted thereto, which is placedbetween the two contact points 36 and 37. A suitable source of electricpower, as the batteries 40, is placed adjacent the apparatus, and wires41, 42, 43 and 44 connect the motor and batteries in such a manner as toreverse the direction of rotation of the motor when the contact of thebar 39 shifts from the contact point 86 to the contact point 37, as itwill when there is a sufficient variation of the tide, the tide slowlyfilling the cylinder 33 and slowly emptying the same when it falls.

While the above form of the invention shows an electrical control forregulating the heights of the guide frames, it will be obvious thatthere may be other means employed for accomplishing this same purpose,and it will also be obvious that there may be other means fortransmitting the power from the wave motor than the one shown in thefigures. Such modifications are shown in Figs. 4: to 6, in which thepiling is shown at 50, said piling having suitable guides and beingconnected by means of girders 51, said girders 51 having cross girders52 connected therewith to support the parts of the apparatus which liftthe guide frame 53.

The guide frame comprises four vertical bars 54 which are suitablyconnected together to carry the strains of the apparatus. Each of thebars 5a is provided with a rack bar 55, each of said rack bars being inmesh with and carried by a pinion 56 or two shafts 57 there being fourof the pinions 56 or two of said shafts 57 Each shaft 57 carries a wormgear 58, each gear being in mesh with worms 59 on a shaft 60. This shaft60 carries in turn a worm gear 61, which is in mesh with a. worm 62 on ashaft 68 'of the water motor 6- The result of this construction is thata very small amount of power applied to the shaft 63 will raise andlower the frame 58, and its attachments and the motor may be operated ineither direction by turning the water through either the nozzle 65 or inthe reverse direction by turning it through the nozzle 66, a valve head85 changing the direction of flow of the water as may be desired, asindicated by dotted arrows in Fig. 6.

The valve 85 receives its power of water from the pipe 68 and is rotatedby means of a shaft 69, said shaft being supported in brackets 70 on oneof the piles 50. The water motor 64 is supported upon a bracket 71 alsolocated upon one of the piles 50. The shaft 69 is rotated by means of agear 72 slidable vertically thereon, a bracket 7 3 supporting said gearin a fixed position with respect to a gear 74, the latter also beingcarried by bracket 73.

The gear 74: has an arm 7 5 secured thereto, which arm extends betweenthe arms of a fork 76 on the rod 77. This rod 77 is supported by meansof a float 7 8 in a cylinder 79, the cylinder having a small hole at thebottom thereof to permit the escape of water therefrom while at the sametime it will not escape rapidly enough to cause the rod 77 to move withoscillations of the waves. Should the tide rise, the rod 77 will riseand the gear 7 1 will be rotated, whereupon water will be forced fromthe pipe 68 through the motor 64: in one direction, the reverseoperation occurring when the tide falls. The reversing valve comprises acasing 80 having a cover threaded therein at 81 and with which the pipe(38 is connected. This valve has a suitable packing box 82 and ports 83and 84:, and the rotatable ported head 85 is secured to the shaft 69.This head 85 has ports 86 and 87 and when rotated in the properdirections will cause water to pass through the pipes 66 or 65 asdesired, the water therefrom discharging against the wheel 88 to rotatethe shaft (33 in the desired direction The wave motor proper comprisesthe float 89 which is pivoted in the frame 89, which latter is securedby means of bars 90 to ournal boxes 91 at the bottom of the rectangularframe 92, said frame having eight rollers 93 which move in guides in theposts 54. There are two of the bars 90 and they are suitably connectedby a. vane similar to the vane 12. The float is pivoted to a frame 89which has a curved rack bar 94 thereon, which meshes with a pinion 95 onthe shaft 96, power being taken from said shaft in any suitable manner.Since this shaft will receive only a portion of the power developed bythe waves in moving the float 89, a rack bar 97 is secured to the frame92, which rack bar is in mesh with a pinion 98 on a shaft 99, a bracketforming the bearing for the shaft 99. Each of the shafts 9G and 99 willrotate first in one direction and then in another, but any suitableapparatus may be connected therewith for the transmission of the power,thus obtained, which is not affected by this oscillatory motion.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is as follows:

1. In a wave motor, a fixed frame work, a slidable frame therein, meansto move said slidable frame to keep it in a determinate position withrespect to a variable tide, a float, a slidable frame in the firstmentioned frame, and means to transmit power from said float upon itsmovement by the waves, as set forth.

2. In a wave motor, a fixed frame work, a slidable frame therein, meansto move said slidable frame to a determinate position with respect to avariable tide, a second slidable frame movable in the first slidableframe, a float, means connecting the second slidable frame and the floatwhereby the float will move about a center below the surface of thewater, a vane extending downwardly from the float toward the center ofmotion thereof, and means to transmit power from the float upon itsmovement by the waves, as set forth.

3. In a wave motor, a fixed frame work,

a slidable frame therein, a motor to raise and lower said slidableframe, means to cause said motor to raise or lower said frame to keepthe same at a determinate position with respect to a variable tide, asecond slidable frame within the first slidable frame, a float, means tocause said float to move about a center below the surface of the water,supports connecting said float and said second slidable frame, and meansto transmit power from said float upon its movement by the waves, as setforth.

4. In a wave motor, a fixed frame work, a slidable frame therein, meansto move said slidable frame to a determinate position with respect to avariable tide, a second slidable frame movable in the first slidableframe, a float, means connecting the second slidable frame and float,whereby the float will move about a center below the surface of thewater, and means connected with said float to rotate a shaft upon thefirst slidable frame, as set forth.

5. In a wave motor, a fixed frame work, a slidable frame therein, meansto move said slidable frame to a determinate position with respect to avariable tide, a second slidable frame movable in the first slidableframe, a float, means to support said secondslidable frame from thefloat, and means to transmit power from said float upon its movement bythe waves, as set forth.

6. In a wave motor, a fixed frame work, a slidable frame therein, amotor to raise and lower said slidable frame, a chamber having a smallopening therein for permitting the ebb and flow of the tidetherethrough, a float in said chamber, and means connected with saidfloat for starting the motor in either direction, as set forth.

7. In a wave motor, a fixed frame work, a slidable frame therein, amotor to raise and lower said slidable frame, means to cause said motorto raise or lower said frame so that it will always be at a determinateposition with respect to a variable tide, a float for setting said motorin mo tion in either direction, a second slidable frame within the firstmentioned slidable frame, a float supporting said second slidable frame,and means to cause said float to rotate a shaft fixed upon one of saidframes, as set forth.

8. In a wave motor, a guide frame, a float supporting said guide frame,a main shaft, and a crank of variable effective length connected withsaid shaft and said float to rotate the shaft, substantially asdescribed.

9. In a wave motor, a guide frame, a float supporting said guide frame,means to cause said float to move about a center be low the same, a mainshaft, and a crank of variable effective length connected with saidshaft and said float to rotate the shaft, substantially as described.

10. In a wave motor, a guide frame, a float supporting said guide frame,a vane below the float, a main shaft, a crank of variable effectivelength connected with said shaft and said float to rotate the shaft,substantially as described.

11. In a wave motor, a guide frame, a float supporting said guide frame,means to cause the center of movement of said float to lie below thefloat, a vane extending below the float toward the center of movementthereof, and a crank of variable effective length connected with themain shaft and the float to rotate said shaft, substantially asdescribed.

12. In a wave motor, guides, a guide frame slidable therein, a floatsupporting said guide frame, means to cause the center of movement ofsaid float to lie below the same, a vane extending below the floattoward the center of movement thereof, a main shaft, a head carriedthereby, and a crank arm freely slidable in said head for rotating saidshaft, substantially as described.

13. In a wave motor, guides, a guide frame slidable therein, a floatsupporting said guide frame, means to cause the center of movement ofsaid float to lie below the same, a vane extending below the floattoward the center of movement thereof, a main shaft, a head carriedthereby, a crank freely slidable transversely of said head, and an armextending upwardly from the float and connected with the crank to rotatesaid shaft, substantially as described.

14:. In a wave motor, guides, a guide frame vertically slidable therein,a float supporting said guide frame, means connecting the guide frameand float to cause the center of movement of the float to lie below thesame, pivots to permit the float to accommodate itself to variouspositions on the surface of the water, a vane extending below the floattoward the center of movement thereof, a shaft, and a crank of variableeffective length connected with the shaft and float to rotate saidshaft, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set .my hand this 13th day of MayA. D. 1911, in the presence of the two subscribed witnesses.

BENNET CARROLL SHIPMAN.

Witnesses:

C. P. GRIFFIN, L. H. ANDERSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, G.

